Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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17. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if her reform programme has been successful to date; if she is satisfied with the manner in which promotions in An Garda Síochána are handled; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3024/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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My focus and that of the Government over the past 20 months has been to put in place concrete measures to ensure and enhance ongoing public confidence in policing in Ireland, while continuing to support the men and women of An Garda Síochána in their day-to-day work of keeping our communities and country safe. This means firstly overseeing reform of the administration, accountability and oversight of policing in Ireland; and secondly delivering on a programme of reform, modernisation and investment in An Garda Síochána particularly focusing on organisation, processes and systems.

The establishment of the Policing Authority on 1 January was a very important milestone and I am pleased to say that it will meet for the first time tomorrow. The Authority will provide a new, effective and independent forum for the public oversight of policing services in Ireland. Having worked closely with the Garda Commissioner and the Chairperson over the last several months, I know there is a strong commitment to promote a continuous improvement in policing and a determination to work together to achieve that.

Other important initiatives either completed or in train include:

- the appointment of the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners following an open and independent selection process for the first time

- the extension of the FOI Act 2014 to An Garda Síochána

- the enactment of legislation to strengthen the role and remit of GSOC and the appointment of Judge Mary-Ellen Ring as Chairperson to that body last August

- the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 allows Garda members to make "protected disclosures" to GSOC in confidence relating to alleged Garda misconduct

- a Commission of Investigation, chaired by Justice O’Higgins, has been established and is currently examining matters arising from the report of May 2014 from Mr Sean Guerin, SC, to An Taoiseach concerning allegations made by Sergeant Maurice McCabe

- the Independent Review Mechanism, consisting of a panel of counsel, has reviewed 320 complaints containing allegations of Garda misconduct, or inadequacies in the investigation of certain allegations. Notification letters have issued to complainants in over 300 of these cases with the outstanding letters due to be issued imminently and a summary report of the process published

- following the publication of the Garda Professional Standards Unit (GPSU) report on the operation of the fixed charge processing system (penalty points) I appointed Judge Mathew Deery, former President of the Circuit Court, to the new position of Independent Oversight Authority for the fixed charge processing system

- significant work is continuing to implement the recommendations contained in the Garda Síochána Inspectorate's 2014 report on Crime Investigation. This work will be boosted by the allocation of an additional €205 million in funding for critical Garda ICT infrastructure over the life time of the Government’s Capital Plan.

The most recent Inspectorate report "Changing Policing in Ireland - Delivering a Visible, Accessible and Responsive Service"which I published on 9 December last is another important contribution to the ongoing reform agenda that is under way in An Garda Síochána and across the wider justice sector. The Commissioner is also about to publish her 5 year Strategic Transformation Programme which I understand will address many of the issues raised in the Inspectorate Report.

On the matter of promotions within An Garda Siochána, the position is that promotions up to and including Assistant Commissioner are covered by the Garda Síochána (Promotion) Regulations 2006. Those Regulations are under review at present and will be subject to amendment in order to facilitate the Policing Authority assuming its full functions in relation to appointments to the senior ranks of An Garda Síochána. Separately, as the Deputy will be aware, the Commission on Public Service Appointments (CPSA) recently published its audit of promotion practices to the rank of sergeant and inspector in An Garda Síochána. While broadly positive in relation to those practices overall, the CPSA does make a number of recommendations for improvements which are being considered by the Commissioner and which may require amendments to the Regulations in due course.

Finally, under the Garda Síochána (Policing Authority and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015, the Policing Authority has a statutory responsibility to keep under review recruitment to An Garda Síochána.